


Don't sugar coat it

by TiffanyF



Category: House M.D.
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-02
Updated: 2013-10-14
Packaged: 2017-11-27 20:59:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 14,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/666421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiffanyF/pseuds/TiffanyF
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wilson changes House's medication without telling him about it - with really bad results. I don't own these guys and don't make any money from these fics.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A bit of a stretch, yes, but I've been in this position before. Placebos only go so far to treat pain no matter how much you believe in them.

House had just poured himself a fresh cup of coffee and taken two steps back towards his office and the case file waiting him there when his bad leg gave out completely in a burning spasm that took him to the floor. The pain from his leg totally erased the sensation of hot coffee burning into his chest and arm.

“Greg,” his lover exclaimed from the open door.

“My pills,” House managed to gasp, “jacket, office.” It was all he could do not to curl up in a ball and cry his leg hurt so bad.

“Here,” Chase said when he got back to the conference room. “We need to get you cleaned up and treat these burns.”

“You can’t carry me,” House said after he swallowed two Vicodin pills.

Chase smiled. “If we get you back to your feet you can lean on me and we’ll go to your office,” he said. “Then I’ll get what we need so no one sees you like this. Your reputation will be safe.”

“Foreman and Cameron?” House asked as he was pulled carefully to his foot. He didn’t think his right leg would be able to support any of his weight and didn’t want to aggravate it by trying.

“Foreman is in the lab trying to prove you wrong and Cameron is down complaining to Cuddy about the latest round of tests you ordered.”

“Close the blinds, Bobby.”

“Do you have a change of clothes?”

“Yeah, under my desk.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back. Prop your leg up, it’ll help.”

House nodded and lay back on the floor gratefully. He used both hands and lifted his right leg, settling it against his desk with a sigh. That was really strange; his leg hadn’t hurt like that since he’d gotten the dose adjusted a year after the infarction. Even his bad days weren’t as bad as what had just happened; House couldn’t remember the last time it had given out on him completely. He took out his pill bottle and shook it thoughtfully.

The sound of a lock turning drew his attention to his surroundings again. “Why Dr. Chase, are you going to give me a sponge bath?” he asked when he saw everything his lover was carrying.

“Do you want me to?” Chase grinned. “Come on; let’s get you out of these clothes.”

“Kinky,” House said with a small smile of his own. “Bobby, it still hurts.”

Chase frowned. He knew how much his boss and lover hated showing weakness or any sort of vulnerability. For House to say that his leg hurt meant that the pain level was likely off the scales. “Come on, let’s get you naked and I’ll take a look at it.”

“Not tonight, dear, I have a headache.”

“Is sex all you think about?”

“There’s something else?” House dropped his wet shirt on the floor and settled back again.

“You’re incorrigible.” Chase set House’s sneakers on the floor and shifted to help ease the wet jeans off. He moved slowly along each long leg, careful not to jar House any more than necessary. “The burns don’t look bad, but I think you’ll be more comfortable with dressings on them for a couple of days.”

House nodded and winced. He popped the top off his pill bottle and swallowed two more before Chase could object. Chase just sighed and kept cleaning the burns. “No lecture?” House asked.

“Would it do any good?” Chase asked in reply. “There; is there anything else I can do?”

“Take one of these,” House began. 

“No, the last thing we need is for me to get all doped up at work. You have the market cornered there.”

House turned a look on his lover. “Let me finish,” he said.

“Oh.”

“Take one of these pills and make sure it really is Vicodin,” House finished. “I’m not detoxing, but I shouldn’t be in this much pain. And help me get dressed.”

Chase grinned. “I like seeing you naked on the floor of your office,” he said leaning in.

“You can ravish me when my leg doesn’t hurt as much,” House said. “Besides, you can see I’m really not in the mood right now.”

“You must be sick.”

House hooked his bag with his cane and pulled it over. “Tell Cuddy I can’t walk,” he said. “And lock me in here. I don’t want anyone to see me like this.”

“Not even Dr. Wilson?”

“Not even Wilson,” House sighed.

“Greg, what’s going on?”

“I just want to sleep. But for some reason the pain is getting worse instead of better and I’m not the least bit sleepy.”

“Those pills should be working,” Chase said with a frown. He dug in his lover’s bag and pulled out a different pill bottle. “I never thought I’d be glad you’re such an addict.” Then he picked up the damp cloth and wiped House’s face.

“You love me anyway.”

“I do,” Chase said. He handed House two pills and kept one out. “I’ll test against this.”

“Don’t forget to lock the door,” House said. He pulled on a clean shirt and flopped back down. “Maybe the pills were just bad,” he said with a sigh.

“Those other worked then?”

“I’ll be okay, Bobby.” 

“And I’ll be back. I’ll tell Cuddy to leave you alone for a while.”

House caught Chase’s hand and pulled him in for a quick kiss. “Thank you.”  
********************

Wilson didn’t even look up when his office door opened with no warning. “I’m busy, House,” he said.

“Not too busy for this, I think,” Chase said.

The sound of the younger doctor’s voice startled Wilson. He looked up and saw Chase was supporting a very pale House – who had bandages on his left arm. “What happened?” he asked standing up.

“He collapsed in our conference room,” Chase replied. “Just after he’d freshened his coffee.” He eased his lover into a chair and perched on the arm. “And for some strange reason his pain killers weren’t working.”

“He’s probably just built up a tolerance for them again,” Wilson said. “House, you need to cut back. I’m not the only one who’s told you that.”

House didn’t move or look up. “I took four pills and nothing happened,” he said quietly. “It didn’t even start to take the edge off the pain. It was like someone had heated up knives and stabbed me with them. My leg gave out completely and I still can’t put any weight on it. Chase had to give me morphine to get me mobile enough to come down here.”

“You shouldn’t mix drugs,” Wilson said.

“What was I supposed to do, leave him on the floor in so much pain he couldn’t talk, let alone work?” Chase demanded. “We were in the middle of a case and House is the only one who was able to make heads or tails of the symptoms.”

Wilson flinched and reacted automatically as a pill bottle was thrown at him. “Those are missing a label, Wilson,” House said just as softly as before.

“What?” Wilson asked.

“You forgot to put a sticker on there to tell me that there’s been a change in my medication,” House replied. “I’m fairly sure I’ve read that law somewhere.”

“And broken it,” Chase muttered.

“Probably.”

Chase looked over at Wilson. “I tested one of those pills against a pill from House’s bag and found out his latest prescription was nothing but sugar pills. He’d believe they were real enough to keep him from withdrawal symptoms, but the pills wouldn’t block the pain no matter how strongly he believed in them.”

“Placebos work,” Wilson insisted. “He’s gotten shots of saline before, believed it was morphine and they worked just fine.”

“That’s your defense?” Chase asked. “Wilson, do you even know how much pain Greg deals with every day? Did you even stop to think what would happen if your little scheme hadn’t worked? What if House had been on his bike when the pain hit?”

House shook his head. “He’s never understood because he doesn’t want to,” he said softly. He finally looked up and Wilson sat down heavily at the changed appearance of his friend’s face. The pain lines had deepened, aging House at least ten years. His usually bright blue eyes were dull and moist, tears threatening to spill over. And his skin was parchment white, almost deathly so. House shook his head. “He’s got it fixed in his mind that I’m an addict and if I really worked hard at it, I could learn to live with the pain, without the pills. He believes that I enjoy being dependant on a chemical that is likely going to shorten my life span. He thinks I like being high.”

“Why would he think something like that?” Chase asked with a confused frown.

House sighed. “Because he’s never bothered to look below the surface,” he said. “I thought I could trust you, Wilson. But I guess I was wrong. You almost killed me and that’s not something I’ll be able to forget.”

“Come on, Greg, you need to be lying down,” Chase said softly. “I’ll knock you out until its time to go home.”

“What about your case?” Wilson demanded.

“He already solved it,” Chase replied. He pulled House up again and took his lover’s weight. “Let me know if you need to rest, Greg.”


	2. Chapter 2

Wilson knew that he didn’t have any choice but to go to Cuddy and explain what had happened. He didn’t think that House would have gone running to their boss – he knew that she disliked his pill habit as much as Wilson did – but he wanted to let her know what was going on. He couldn’t help but wonder if House was right, that he’d never bothered to try and find out exactly how much pain House was in all the time. Wilson just noticed how many pills House seemed to go through every month and worried about him. He hadn’t realized that House would have been aware of every problem the Vicodin could cause for him. Wilson always thought that House just didn’t care.

There were days he forgot exactly how perceptive his best friend could be. Wilson always just wanted to help House out, try and keep him healthy, and it looked like he had failed. One thing that bothered him thought; since when did Dr. Chase call House by his first name and why was House so comfortable with the younger doctor? It didn’t make any sense because, as far as Wilson knew, House hated all three of the younger doctors in his department and resented having them around unless he needed something done. Then they were practically his slaves.

“Cuddy, can we talk?”

“What’s wrong, James?”

“I screwed up,” Wilson admitted as he shut the door behind himself. He sank into one of the chair across from Cuddy and put his head in his hands. “Have you spoken with Chase or House in the past couple of hours?”

“Just Chase telling me that House wasn’t feeling well and wanted to rest for an hour,” Cuddy said. “He’d already solved his case, so I didn’t see a problem with it. Anything to keep him away from people right now. Why? What’s wrong?”

“I changed House’s medicine without telling him,” Wilson said. “I gave him sugar pills rather than Vicodin this time around. I thought that if he believed they were real they would work. And I guess I was wrong.”

“Why?”

“House apparently collapsed in his conference room,” Wilson said. “With a mug of coffee in his hand. He’s pretty banged up, Lisa. He and Chase came to see me and I have never, ever seen House look so bad before. Its like he aged ten years, if not more, and it’s because of the pain. I could have killed him.”

“You should have at least mentioned something to me before you did this,” Cuddy said. “You know that House has every right to take legal action now.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think he will,” Wilson said. “I mean, its House. When has he ever let anyone else settle a fight for him?”

“He’s not the only one you need to be worrying about, James,” Cuddy said. “They wanted to keep it a secret, but had to tell me, and they did. I’ve never seen House so concerned about someone else before, but he wanted to make sure that his lover working for him wouldn’t be a problem. He didn’t want to ruin Chase’s career. We managed to work something out so they could keep working together and date, much to Chase’s delight and House’s relief. They just didn’t want anyone else to know.”

“That’s why Chase was the one taking care of House. I know that House hates to show weakness to anyone and I was shocked when he was leaning on Chase. But why do I have to worry about him?”

“Because he might pursue legal action on behalf of his lover,” Cuddy sighed. “I’ll go and speak with them, but it wouldn’t hurt if you apologized and asked if there was anything you could do.”

“I have a lot of thinking to do, don’t I?”

“James, I’m as concerned about House’s drug problem as you are,” Cuddy said. “In a way, I’m responsible for it because I worked with Stacy to find ways to get around what House wanted for his own body. I think what we forget is that House is also a doctor and knows what he’s doing. There are days when I think he hates the pills more than we do, but it’s hard to tell because he always has that mask in place. I think Chase is the only one who has seen behind it.”

“I used to think that I had,” Wilson said.

“Me too, but I think we were wrong,” Cuddy sighed. “Take the rest of the day off if you want. I’ll go talk with Chase.”

“House said he’s never going to forgive me for this, Lisa.”

“He was just letting the pain talk,” Cuddy said. She patted him on the shoulder. “He’ll come around, you’ll see.”

“I hope so,” Wilson muttered. “Thanks.”  
********************

Chase had hidden his lover away in an empty room and was back in the diagnostic’s room trying to get his paperwork done so he’d be able to take House home at a reasonable house. He was mad at Wilson for the stunt he’d pulled and the effect it had on Greg. Chase was going to insist on either having Cuddy prescribe the pills for House from then on out, or letting him do it because he didn’t think that they would be able to trust Wilson again. He just couldn’t get the image out of his mind of his lover on that crazy bike of his, blacking out because of the pain and dying. Chase wouldn’t be able to survive if he lost House; he just wouldn’t.”

“Hey,” Cuddy said softly from the door, “can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Sure, but I really need to get this done,” Chase replied. “I need to take Greg home and put him to bed as soon as possible.”

“I heard; is he okay?”

“I don’t know when he’ll be able to walk on his own again, Cuddy,” Chase said with a sigh. “The burns from the coffee will heal in a week or so, especially if I can keep them treated, but I won’t know if he did any damage to his leg until the pain eases up a little and he tries to walk again.”

“We can do a scan before he leaves,” Cuddy offered. “And see if anything has changed.”

“I’ll ask him, but he probably just wants to get home. He’s still in a lot of pain and I have him knocked out at the moment. What else did Wilson have to say?”

“He’s really feeling bad about all this,” Cuddy said. “I don’t think he really knows just what to do.”

“He’s done enough,” Chase said firmly. “Greg’s hurt by what happened and, even though he won’t admit it, I can tell that he wants to cry. Wilson meant a lot to him and I don’t think that he’ll ever be able to forgive this. I know that I’ll have a hard time with it.”

“What’s House going to do next?”

“If you mean legal action, forget it,” Chase said. He could see the relief on his boss’ face and bit back a laugh. “Neither of us wants House’s life to come under the view of the legal system again. I’ve been researching alternative medicines for pain, but haven’t found anything as reliable as Vicodin. I’m not going to give up, but this could just take some time.”

“It might help it he talked with Wilson.”

“He already did, when we found out about the pills,” Chase said. “Wilson just kept going on about how House has a drug problem and wouldn’t actually listen to a word House had to say. And, until he’s ready to find out more about House’s pain levels and how much he has to deal with on a daily basis, I don’t think coming near House is a good idea. I know I’d be happy for him to stay far away from me for the time being.”

Cuddy sighed. “I’ll tell him,” she said. “But you guys still have to work with him so it would help if you weren’t mad at each other.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let my personal feelings get in the way of my job,” Chase said. “But you know that I can’t say the same for House.”

“If you could just try and keep him under control while he’s here, I’d really appreciate it,” Cuddy said. “And maybe keep him away from Wilson until they work through everything.”

“Cuddy, I’m a doctor, not a miracle worker,” Chase grinned. “But I’ll see what I can do. Look, he’s never going to ask because he’s too damn stubborn, but could Greg and I take a week or so off to get him healed up again? We’ll come in if you need us.”

“Yeah, I need him to be as healthy as he can,” Cuddy said. “I’ll make the arrangements. Take him home, Robert, and take care of him. You know you’re the only one that can.”

“I know,” Chase said with a smile. “I’m still awed that he let me get this close to him.”

“In a way, I am too,” Cuddy said. “But I’m also glad he did.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey, are you ready to go home?" Chase asked, rubbing House's shoulder gently.

"Time is it?"

"Around six. Sorry, Greg, my paperwork took longer than I thought it would," Chase said. "Come on, we've got a week off so you can get your leg feeling a little better before you have to come back?"

House blinked at him a couple of times. "How'd you manage that?" he asked.

"Cuddy is worried that we'll bring legal action against Wilson and the hospital for what he did," Chase replied. He helped House up into a sitting position and reached for the cane that was propped up against the bed. "I told her we wouldn't be, but she still gave us the time off, well, mostly."

"Emergency calls?" House asked.

"Yeah, but she also said she'd make something work, so it's possible we might really have a whole week," Chase said with a smile. "Come on, we're leaving the bike here and taking my car home."

"Good idea," House said. "Don't think I could ride right now if I had to."

"On your scale, where's the pain?"

"Eight."

Chase winced. "I think it's a good thing I got some extra pain killers before I came to fetch you," he said. "All right, we're taking it slowly. Let's head out."  
***

When they got back to House's apartment, Chase settled his lover on the sofa and went to start a hot bath. "You are going to soak while I fix supper," he said.

"The hot water won't help the burns, Bobby."

"I know, but we can manage that," Chase said. "Come on, in. Try to keep the burns dry, but if you can't, don't worry about it. I brought cream home with me and you need the heat more than you need to worry about those burns."

House winced as he slowly settled into the hot water. "How bad are they?" he asked.

"Mild second degree," Chase replied. "But only at a couple of center points. For the most part, just severe sunburn levels. Do you need anything before I go out to start supper?"

"No, but listen for me," House said. "I'm still sleepy from the drugs you gave me at the hospital and I don't want to drown."

"I know. Just rest and I'll check on you every few minutes. I'm not making anything overly complicated for supper tonight."

"Bobby, we need to talk about Wilson," House said.

Chase sat down on the closed toilet and looked at his lover. "I told Cuddy to keep Wilson away from the both of us at work," he said. "I'm going to ask her to prescribe your meds for you for the next few months, until we work out something that will work out better for you. I wish they'd let me do it, but if our relationship becomes general knowledge then there could be problems."

"That's not a bad idea," House said. "Cuddy doesn't like me taking the pills, but she's less likely to pull something like this again. I know she still feels guilty for working with Stacy and crippling me like this. I just don't want to have to listen to Wilson's reasoning behind this. I'm tired, Bobby. I wouldn't admit it to anyone else, but I'm tired and I hurt."

"I know," Chase said. He moved over to the edge of the tub and kissed his lover softly. "I know and you don't have to be strong with me, Greg. I'll do everything I can to help you, and if that includes standing guard for Wilson, then I'll do it."

"Thank you," House said softly. "What's for dinner?"

"Pasta?"

"Yeah, sounds good."


	4. Chapter 4

House hadn't mentioned it to anyone, but he thought he'd felt something in his knee give when he fell. It wasn't at the scar site and he wasn't sure what it meant. The pain in his leg was still trying to blind him to everything else, even with the moist heat surrounding it. He knew he needed to work out what he wanted to do about Wilson, but at the same time, he didn't know what he wanted to do about Wilson. House knew what everyone else expected of him, that he would pull some sort of mean and childish prank on Wilson and then everything would be forgiven, but he didn't think it would work for what happened. One thing House didn't do was trust easily. It took a long time to get through his barriers and, even then, he always held a small part of himself back. There were really only two people he'd let in completely and that was his lover, and Wilson.

"Hey, you're quiet in here, you okay?" Chase asked from the door.

"Thinking," House replied. "Bobby, if you were in my place, what would you do about Wilson?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Chase said. "Come on, let's get you out and feed you. My gut instinct is to punch Wilson in the nose. I think, for now, you just need to let it rest so you can recover. Greg, why is your knee bruised?"

"I was hoping I'd imagined that," House sighed. "I hurt it when I fell."

"Well, I guess we'll have to ice the knee and put the heating pad on your scar for tonight," Chase said. "We might have to go in for a CAT scan tomorrow to make sure you didn't tear anything."

House sat down on the folded towel with a groan. "I hate those things."

"I know you do, but you really don't need any more problems on that leg," Chase said. He started to pat his lover's chest dry. "I'm going to leave these open while you eat and then I'll bandage them when you're ready for bed, okay? I think some air will be good for them."

"No blisters?"

"Not that I can see. How do they feel?"

"I really can't feel anything other than my leg right now, Bobby," House admitted. "Even my knee isn't registering."

Chase paused and grinned at his lover. "Greg, pain. That's what you get Wilson to do."

"What are you talking about?" House asked. He leaned against his lover and started towards the bedroom slowly.

"They have the machines that leg men experience the pains of childbirth, right?" Chase asked. He helped House into the bed and and bent down to get the heating pad from the lower drawer of the bedside table. "What if we convince Wilson to get connected to that and dial up the pain to your level? Let him feel exactly how much pain you live with on a daily basis."

"We don't know where my pain level registers on the scale," House pointed out.

"I think we could work it out," Chase replied. "You said that Wilson has never bothered to find out how much pain you're in. If there's a way to show him, then I think we should take it."

House managed a tired grin. "It would be interesting," he agreed. "Ask me again when I'm feeling better."

"Do you want to nap before you eat?"

"No, if I nap I'm going to be out for the night," House said. "Feed me quickly before I fall asleep."

Chase kissed his lover softly. "Okay, I'll be right back," he said. "With food and an ice pack for you knee. I really don't like the look of that bruising."


	5. Chapter 5

Chase wasn't surprised when he was up before his lover the next morning. He put the heating pad carefully back on House's leg and looked at his lover's knee. The bruising had darkened, but there wasn't any swelling visible. Chase didn't want to try and move it to see if there was pain then, he knew that the scar would be hurting too much to even touch the leg for another couple of days, but he didn't think he would have to push for scans at the hospital. He also checked the dressings on the burns before covering House back up. That his lover slept through it all was a sign of how sleepy he really was.

With a small sigh, Chase went out into the living room and grabbed a cold coffee drink he kept for days when he didn't want to wake his lover up brewing fresh coffee. He flopped down onto the sofa and grabbed the laptop from the coffee table. There was an email from Cuddy saying that she would handle House's prescriptions for the next year, or until Chase was able to find a better option for pain management. Chase haunted pain management sites, always looking for something that would help his lover but not be nearly as damaging as prolonged vicodin use would be. He really didn't have much hope, Chase knew how long his lover had been on the pain killers and knew that House would have switched to another medication if there was anything that was better at managing the pain for him.

"Bobby?"

Chase was up and down the hall quickly. "Hey, thought you would sleep longer," he said. "How do you feel?"

"Tired, sore and old," House griped. "How does it look?"

"I took a look at your knee and it's not swollen," Chase said. "The bruise is darker, but I don't think we need to worry about it right away. If it's hurting you badly once your pain levels are down to a more normal level then we'll get it checked."

"Sounds logical," House said. "I guess I'm staying in bed today."

"It's probably the best idea, I think you need as much rest as possible," Chase said. "Want me to grab those journals you've been wanting to read? It'll kill a couple of hours and give you something to bitch at while I'm cooking breakfast."

House grinned. "How do you know I'll bitch at them?"

"Because I have yet to see you read a journal right the way through without complaining at least once that an article is stupid, badly written, not thought through, or just plain wrong," Chase said. He kissed his lover gently. "I wouldn't have you any other way."

"Good, because this is my natural state," House said. "The journals are a good idea, Bobby. What are you thinking for breakfast?"

"Something easy for you to eat in here," Chase said. "I'll work something out. Be right back."


	6. Chapter 6

Cuddy looked up when the door to her office opened and Wilson walked in. "Hey, you're here early, are you okay?"

"I couldn't sleep last night," Wilson admitted. "I just couldn't get the whole conversation with House and Chase out of my mind. What would have happened if House had been on the bike when the pain hit him, Lisa? He would have crashed and it probably would have killed him. What was I even thinking trying something like this?"

"You're worried about House, just like we all are," Cuddy said, leaning back in her chair. "I really wish you had come to me to talk about this before you tried it though, James. When I did the saline injections for House, he was still on his other pain medications so he had something in his body to help out. This time around, he didn't have anything and given how much he takes and his tolerance levels, this hit him harder than you were probably expecting it to. I also know that both House and Chase are searching for alternative treatments, but there's nothing available that's as consistent and proven as vicodin is."

Wilson sighed and rubbed his face. "I ignored all of that. I just looked at the number of pills he was going through in a month, how many he was taking and I worried that the number was only going to keep going up and up until he couldn't function anymore," he said. 

"This is just an opinion, I haven't ever asked House about it, but I think he takes fewer pills than he could," Cuddy said. "I've caught him in his office a few times with his leg propped up and the heating pad on it. It's like I said yesterday, we both tend to forget that House is a doctor and he knows exactly what he's doing. I think it's how he acts most of the time, honestly, but he's a good doctor. I've counted, and he takes fewer pills when he has a patient than when he just has paperwork. Did you ever notice that?"

"No. I don't know that I've noticed anything recently."

"You got lucky with this one, James," Cuddy said. "You really could have been in a lot of trouble if either House or Chase wanted to take legal action against you for what you did. I know you wouldn't do this with any of your patients, but I think you really do need to take a couple of steps back and look at House again. I'm going to handle his prescriptions for a while. I'd like to have you talk with House, but given what I've been hearing, I don't think that's going to be a good idea for a while."

"Sorry to make such a mess of things," Wilson sighed. "Have you heard anything?"

"Yeah, I got an email from Chase detailing out House's injuries from the fall and the coffee spill so I could enter them onto House's chart," Cuddy said. "It might be more than a week before we see him again. I was going to go check on him at lunch and see if they needed anything."

"Is there anything I can do to help out?"

"Don't provoke House?" Cuddy said. "Let him come to you when he gets back, and be ready for something really creative in revenge for all of this. He might not feel like it now, but you know that House will want to put you through something that'll make you suffer for what happened."

Wilson shrugged. "I don't know if anything could make me suffer more than I am right now, honestly," he said. "I'll try and be ready for it though."

"James, this is House we're talking about. There's no way to be ready for anything he comes up with. The man is a genius and his mind doesn't work like ours do. He'll come up with something completely and totally insane," Cuddy said. "The only thing I can be sure of is that it won't maim you."

"There is that, I suppose," Wilson said. "Oh well, I guess we'll have to see what happens, won't we?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, everyone, for you patience in waiting for updates on my stories. I've been finishing up a novel that will be available on amazon soon. If you've read my Dragon Chronicles, you saw that I have a dragon novel as well. The first one is available on amazon, and the one I just finished writing (and am editing) is the sequel to it.
> 
>  
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Lexxie-Scott/e/B00BHME9QQ
> 
> That's the link to my author page. All books are available in both paperback and e-book format.


	7. Chapter 7

The pair fell into a routine for the next few days, with Chase helping House into the bath every night to get some warm moist heat for his leg. The bruise on House's knee darkened more, but House insisted that it didn't hurt, or he wasn't registering the pain over the intense pain radiating from his scar. Chase finally decided that it would be better to take House to the hospital and get the leg scanned. House protested the whole way, but Chase could tell that it was token protests at best and ignored them.

"We're getting a wheelchair, Greg," Chase said. "I'm worried about your leg and don't want you to risk hurting it worse to save your pride."

"Fine, but if anyone asks, you're forcing me," House replied.

"I can live with that, grinch," Chase said fondly.

"Bobby."

"I know, and it's fine. You're frustrated and in pain," Chase said. He touched House's hand because he couldn't kiss his lover in the car. "I'd be surprised if you weren't lashing out at me. Luckily I've heard all your insults and know you don't mean them now."

House sighed. "What did I do to get you?" he asked.

"I looked past the snark," Chase replied. "Wait here, I'll go get you a wheelchair."

"I promise not to steal the car and go joy-riding," House said. He closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to see people walking past the car while he was waiting for his lover to get back. He didn't want the scans, only because his leg was still hurting so badly and he knew that having to hold it perfectly still for the tests would only make the pain worse. Chase was worried about the knee injury though, and House didn't want to worry his lover any. "Cuddy."

"Hey, I saw Chase in the lobby and wanted to see how you're doing," she said. "What's going on?"

"He hurt his knee when he fell and we didn't realize it until we were home," Chase said. "There's no swelling, but the bruise is worrying me and I want to make sure there's not a worse injury there than a severe bruise."

Cuddy moved to the side so Chase could help House out of the car and into the wheelchair. "I'll take him to radiology while you get the car parked if you want," she said. "I promise no lectures, talks, or bribes while we're going."

"What do you mean no bribes?" House asked. "I like bribes. It means there's something someone wants from me."

"Greg, behave," Chase said fondly. "Thanks, Cuddy, that would be a help. Wilson isn't around, is he?"

"He's in the building somewhere, but I didn't call him if that's what you mean," Cuddy said. "See you inside, Chase. Greg, seriously, how do you feel?"

House sighed. "Like crap," he said. "This might be the end of my mobility, Cuddy. I can't put any weight on my bad leg at all, and I certainly can't hop everywhere. It'd be to jarring."

"Let's see what the scans say and then we can talk about PT and some other options for you," Cuddy said. "We won't confine you to a wheelchair yet, Greg. If only because you're be more of a danger in one than you are with that cane of yours."

"Would you believe me if I said I hurt too much to even think about racing in the halls?" House asked.

She stopped them and moved around to squat down next to the arm of the chair. "Greg, I haven't heard you sound this tired and worn down since your first weeks of PT after the surgery," she said. "You're really in that much pain now?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, we can get through this," Cuddy said. She patted his arm carefully, mindful of the burns, and stood up again. "You're not alone, Greg. You have friends here who will help you however they can, and you have Chase. You know he's not going to leave you."

House nodded. "I hope so," he said.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure exactly how the scar tissue on House's leg formed, so I'm going off of a personal injury for this. Totally making it up for the story and, if I'm wrong, please let me know. :)

House insisted on reading the scan results himself, no matter how much his leg was throbbing, and Chase didn't have the heart to argue with him. He'd watched each scan and was realizing exactly what had happened. They were going to have to talk pain management, physical therapy and possibly surgery again. He really wasn't looking forward to his lover realizing that one.

"Hairline fracture to the knee joint," House said. "I must have hit something when I fell and didn't realize it. Hell, the floor could even be guilty of causing that one. It'll heal on it's own as long as I don't try and walk on it for six weeks or so. Not that I feel like walking right now anyway."

"I'm glad it's not more serious," Chase said. "I was starting to worry that you'd torn something in there and we'd have to start worrying about surgery and scar tissue in your knee too. Greg, they did some full leg scans for me, I wanted to see what your scar looked like and you need to see it."

"That good, huh?"

Chase pulled up the films. "Take a look," he said softly.

"The scar tissue ruptured and pulled away from the bone," House said. "How the hell did I do that in a simple fall?"

"You know that it's impossible to tell what's going to happen in falls, Greg," Chase said. "I think you might have involved some of your blood vessels. We need to do more tests to make sure that you don't have impaired blood flow. I know you hate it, but I don't want you to lose the leg completely."

House sighed and leaned back in the wheelchair. "Dye test first," he said. "I don't want anyone near this leg with knives unless it's the absolute last option. Find out when they can do it and schedule me in."

"I already talked with the radiology department and they're waiting for us," Chase said. "We'll get that test done and then go talk with Cuddy about treatment options for you."

"I don't know that there's much treatment left we can do," House said as he was pushed out of the office area. "With the scar tissue pulling away from the bone, a lot of stabilization in that leg is going to be gone and, until the pain lessens, I can't wear a brace on it again. It's possible they could do some reconstruction surgically, but I don't know how much that would lessen the pain, and might actually make it worse. They're already lecturing me on how many pills I take, I don't want to deal with more lectures."

"I think Cuddy is feeling guilty about all of this, Greg, and I don't think she's going to lecture you for a while, if ever," Chase said. He pushed House out of the elevator and towards the X-ray room. "We still need to talk with her about what's going on and let her know what you want to do. Here we go, ready for this?"

"Yeah, let's get it over with," House said. "I'm on record as hating every minute of this though."

"I'd be surprised if you weren't," Chase said fondly.  
****

Cuddy was in her office when House and Chase finished the tests. "Well, what's going on?" she asked, putting down the file she'd been reading.

"The good news is that none of his blood vessels have been impacted," Chase said, shutting the door behind them. "So we don't have to worry about reduced blood flow or possible loss of the leg."

"Okay, then what's the bad news?" she asked.

"Remember the scans done after the surgery and into the following year?" House asked, "where it showed that the scar tissue was binding to the bone as it formed and provided a little bit of strength to the leg, even though moving wrong pulled it and caused pain."

"Yeah, I also remember you pushing to have it removed from the bone, worrying about complications," Cuddy said. 

House sighed. "You can review the films for yourself, but the scar tissue ruptured when I fell, Cuddy," he said. "It's torn completely away from the bone and that's what is causing me so much pain. Everything is suddenly in a completely different position than it's been for the past ten years, it's inflamed and I'm honestly scared to try and walk on it."

"What about your knee?" Cuddy asked.

"Hairline fracture, six weeks and it'll be fine. I just can't walk on it until then," House replied. "Which means six weeks of blinding pain and the agony of not knowing if I'll ever be able to walk again."

"Is there any indications that the tissue could re-adhere to the bone in that time?" Cuddy asked.

"It doesn't look like it," Chase replied. "It looks like there's a fluid pocket under the scar tissue, probably a mix of blood and body fluids formed when the tissue pulled away. We're going to need to keep an eye on that pocket to make sure that it doesn't get any bigger or start causing problems. If it does, that could mean more surgery for Greg."

"Bottom line is that your pain level is increased, you can't walk and you might have to have surgery again," Cuddy said. "Greg, I'm sorry. I didn't know what Wilson was planning. Do you want him disciplined? I feel like I should do something because he's caused you so much damage."

"Go ahead," House said.

"Greg and I have talked about it, and we want to have Wilson hooked up to one of the machines that let men feel what childbirth is like," Chase said. "Greg has his own pain scale, but I think I managed to work out where he was prior to the incident. Honestly, I think he should be out cold right now his pain levels are so high, but he's stubborn."

"So that's all you want?" Cuddy asked. 

House sighed and dropped his eyes. "I want him to feel what I have to live with every day," he said. "He's never tried to understand it. I want him to know exactly what I feel every second of every day. I don't think it's unreasonable."

"It kind of is, but I'll talk to him," Cuddy said. "He's feeling so guilty, even if I tell him he doesn't have to do this, you know he's going to. What about you two? What are we going to do with you?"

"I can hurt at home or I can hurt here," House said. "We'll be back on Monday, but I can't take clinic hours. I'll find something to do in my office, but I need to not be moving around a lot."

"We'll want to scan his leg weekly until we can see what that fluid pocket is doing," Chase added.

"All right, take the wheelchair with you. Keep it as long as you need to," Cuddy said. "House, just promise me that if you start feeling worse, you'll tell Chase. I don't want you to have to go through surgery again unless there's no other choice."

"He'll probably know before I tell him," House said. "He'll keep an eye on me, Cuddy. I don't think I can stop him at this point."


	9. Chapter 9

Cuddy watched the pair leave and leaned back in her chair with a sigh. She was surprised at the request to make Wilson feel the level of pain House lived with every day. She'd been expecting something more along the lines of buckets of water over the doors or taking his chair apart so he fell out of it when he sat down. The request had Chase written all over it because it was more mature than anything House would have come up with, but Cuddy wasn't surprised to find out that House was agreeing with his lover. 

One thing she did know was that she should be taking action to suspend Wilson for a couple of days or some other form of punishment for what he had done, even if House and Chase didn't want to push for legal action. House's injuries were severe and Cuddy had seen fear in his eyes. Six weeks of not knowing was going to be torture for him, and there wasn't any way to speed up the process. Not with a fracture to the knee joint. The pocket of fluid worried her a lot too. If it expanded, it could cause any number of problems, but operating to remove it would cause more scar tissue and pain for House. At that point she agreed with Chase that watching it was the best option they had. If House was still living alone, Cuddy would have forced him to stay at the hospital to be monitored.

With another sigh, she stood up and went to find Wilson. Cuddy had a feeling that he was hiding up in his office. She'd taken him off the schedule for clinic hours, giving the interns and House's other two doctors more time in there. It was good practice for them. Not having to worry about having House in the clinic was a good thing. She'd been cutting his hours back slowly, and he'd been staying in his office more. She wasn't sure, but she thought that it was likely Chase's influence that was leading to the slightly better behavior. "James?"

"Come in, Cuddy."

She shut the door behind her and sat down across from Wilson. "House was just here for some tests," she said. 

"How bad is it?" Wilson asked, leaning back in his chair.

"He fractured his knee when he fell, but that's a minor concern right now," Cuddy replied. "The scar tissue had formed onto the bone as the wound was healing post surgery, and House always worried that it would cause him problems and tried to convince the surgeons to go in and cut it off, but they wouldn't because it gave slight stability to the leg and helped with his mobility. The physical therapy kept the scar tissue loose enough that it only pulled if he moved wrong, and House was good at not doing that to himself. The scans they took today show that the scar tissue has ruptured and torn away from his femur."

"No wonder he's in so much pain," Wilson said.

"There's more to it, I'm afraid," Cuddy said. "Chase found a pocket of fluid under the scar tissue and they're not sure what it's made of. He and House think it's a combination of blood and body fluid, a reaction to the trauma, but it could be something else."

Wilson nodded. "Infection or even cancer, although I don't think either of them would mistake any type of fluid," he said. "What treatment options are they looking at?"

"Right now, monitoring it along with the scar tissue and fracture in the knee," Cuddy said. "House is in a wheelchair, James. He can't walk on his own."

"Lisa, we've established that I screwed up, but I really thought I was doing him a favor," Wilson said. "I'll take whatever punishment you want to give me."

"I really should suspend you for a couple of days," Cuddy said. "Along with a warning in your file, although I know you won't do anything like this again. It's what House and Chase asked for that I'm not sure about."

"What did they want?"

"For you to experience House's pain level first hand."

"How?"

Cuddy sighed. "One of those new machines they have to let men feel what it's like to have kids," she said. "Chase worked out House's pain levels on a normal scale and left the numbers with me. I'm not going to force you to do this, James. It's what the pair of them want, but I don't think it's a reasonable request. Take a few days and think about it."

"What about the suspension?"

"House is back Monday. I'll have you off next week while he's getting settled, barring emergencies with your patients," Cuddy said. "I'll do as much as I can for them, but I also know it's possible they'll want you if they're in a decline."

"That defeats the purpose of the suspension, but thank you," Wilson said. "I don't have anyone right now who should need me within the next couple of weeks. I'll think about what House wants me to do. I don't know if I can face it."


	10. Chapter 10

"You want to tell me what you're thinking?" Chase asked as he helped House settle back into bed. "Do you want the heating pad?"

"Please," House said with a sigh. "Bobby, hop on up here. We need to talk."

"This sounds serious," Chase said. He got the heating pad settled on House's leg and moved around to his side of the bed. "What's going on?"

House rolled his head so he could see his lover. "You aren't going to leave me, are you?"

"Greg, what brought that on?" Chase asked.

"Stacy," House said. "After the surgery before I was able to start PT, she left me. I don't even know where she went, what happened, she just vanished."

"I should have hurt her when I had the chance. How could she just go off and leave you like that when you needed her the most?" Chase asked. "Greg, listen to me. I love you. The only thing I care about with your leg is that it's hurting you and that makes me hurt. I'm not going to run off and abandon you when you need me."

"Promise?"

Chase reached over and cupped House's cheek softly. "I promise," he said softly. "Greg, you opened up enough to let me into your life and I'm still amazed that I get to see you as a lover as well. We'll get you through this, whatever it takes, and I will be next to you ever step of the way. I don't care how much you snark at me, what you yell, I'm not going to let you drive me away."

"Even if there's no sex for six weeks?" House asked.

"Even then," Chase replied. He kissed House softly. "I can take care of things for six weeks. You can even watch if you want to."

House managed a smile. "Thank you," he said. "Let's have take-out tonight."

"Okay, but why?"

"Because I want to nap with you this afternoon and can't do that if you're in slaving away in the kitchen to feed me," House said.

"Do you need anything first?" Chase asked.

"Nope, just you," House said.

Chase moved over and curled up so his head was resting on House's chest. "Wake me up if you need anything."

House ran his fingers through Chase's hair as the younger man fell asleep. He wasn't sure how he was so lucky to have Chase in his life, but he really felt relived that he didn't have to worry about losing his lover. When he'd seen the scans and realized what they meant, he hadn't been able to fully battle down the fear that he'd be left alone again. He didn't think he was strong enough to survive the ordeal on his own a second time.


	11. Chapter 11

"You're sure you're going to be okay in here?" Chase asked. "Do you want to try and move over to your desk chair or stay in the wheelchair for now?"

House looked up at his lover. "Bobby, I'll be fine," he said softly. "I'll stay in the wheelchair and I promise I'll text you if I need anything. I'm just going to review paperwork and make a start on that article I've been researching. You can bring me lunch and we'll see if I feel up to staying through the afternoon or not."

"Okay, I'm just worried," Chase said.

"I know, and that's why I'm not snarking at you," House said. "Go on, go see what interesting cases you can find for me. And bring me coffee."

"Well, sounds like he's back to normal," Cameron commented when Chase walked into their meeting room. "What's with the wheelchair though?"

"Don't know," Chase said. "He was in it when he showed up this morning. Anything interesting happen while I was gone last week?"

Foreman looked over. "Where were you anyway?" he asked. "No one seemed to know and House was missing too."

"I had a personal emergency," Chase replied. "I don't know about House though. You guys want coffee?"

"Nah, I'm good," Foreman said. "This case just came in though, I think it's one House might want us to work."

Chase picked up the folder along with the coffee he'd made for House. "I'll take it in then," he said. "I somehow ended up on coffee duty this morning."

"Better you than me," Cameron said. "He's still trying to get me to do his mail for him."

"Your handwriting is better," Chase said with a smile. He pushed through the door into House's office and shook his head. "Here you go, and a case too. Foreman says he thinks you'll like this one."

House held out a hand and looked up when the folder was placed in it. "Coffee."

"Only if you're good," Chase whispered, setting the coffee down on the desk. "Want me to break out the whiteboard and markers?"

"No, this is simple," House said. "Which Foreman would know if he'd read past the first page. Girl needs what's left of her appendix out and treat her for infection. They ruptured and, somehow, no one caught it."

"I'll pass the message along," Chase said. "Text if you need me."  
****

House managed almost a full day before he had to admit the pain was getting too bad and he wanted to go home. Chase quietly packed their things up and they left together. It wasn't uncommon, although they normally had two different vehicles with them, and they knew it was only a matter of time before people started picking up on their relationship. 

"Is it bad that I want answers now?" House asked with a sigh. 

"Of course not, you're independent and want to be able to do things for yourself," Chase replied, helping his lover get settled into bed. "Not knowing if you'll be able to get around on your own has to be scary, Greg. I'm impressed you're handling it as well as you are, honestly." He kissed House softly. "What do you want for supper?"

"Surprise me," House said.

"Okay, holler if you need me," Chase said with a soft smile.


	12. Chapter 12

The rest of the week passed in the same manner, with House only managing to stay awake through dinner before falling asleep. Chase was monitoring his pain medicine intake and noticed that it didn't change, that House was taking the same dose that he always took, even though the pain had increased. "Greg, I know this is a touchy subject, but can we talk about your meds?" he asked on Saturday, after the first week they'd been back at work.

House sighed and looked down at his hands. "I can manage," he said. 

"You shouldn't have to," Chase said. "Look, Greg, I know that people are always lecturing you, trying to get you to take less, but right now you legitimately need the pain medications, you should be taking them. Cuddy isn't going to say anything if you're going through more pills this month, she understands that you're hurt and you're going to need them."

"She didn't up the number of pills in the prescription though," House said. "If I was taking what I needed rather than what I am, I'd be out in two weeks and she won't write me a new one until the first of the month."

Chase sighed. "Will you let me call her?" he asked. "I hate seeing you in pain, Greg, and if there's something we can do to help it ease back to a more normal level then we should be doing it."

"Yeah, go ahead," House replied. "Would you help me into the bath first though? I want to soak."

"Let me get the water started and I'll come get you," Chase said. He kissed his lover softly and went to the bathroom. They had worked out that folded towels helped brace House's hips and lowered the pain from sitting in the tub a little. It was messy, but the towels dried out and Chase never tried to move them until they were at least partially dry. "Okay, let's get you in there and then I'll call our boss and see if I can go pick up some meds for you once you're back in bed."

"Bobby, thank you," House said. "I don't know what I'd be doing without you."

Chase didn't even want to think about it. "I love you," he said. "Okay, in you go."

House sighed as he sank into the hot water. "I wonder if a Jacuzzi tub would be worth the investment," he said, leaning back. "I'll be okay for a bit. I'm not sleepy."

"Okay, I'll check on you in fifteen minutes," Chase said. He left his lover soaking in the bath, making a note to look into spa tubs when he was off the phone, and called Cuddy. "Hey, it's Chase."

"What's wrong? Is House okay?" Cuddy asked.

"As okay as he can be, he's soaking," Chase replied. "Cuddy, he's been skimping on his pain meds so no one would lecture him about how bad they are and what they're doing to him, which means he's in a significant amount of pain all day. Would it be possible for you to call in an extra set of pills for him? The prescription we just got was for the normal number and he says he'd be out in about two weeks if he took what he actually needed."

Cuddy was quiet for a minute. "I didn't think he even listened to us," she finally said. "I forget that he feels things, as horrible as that sounds, because he has that poker face and never lets anyone see what he's thinking. I'm sorry, Chase, I should have thought about giving him an increased number of pills for a couple of months. I'll call it in now."

"Thanks, Cuddy," Chase said. "I'm doing my best, but I think I'm battling more demons than I even know about. He was scared I was going to leave him because of this new injury."

"Because that's what Stacy did," Cuddy said. "You didn't see him when that happened, Chase. I was afraid he'd not show up at work one day and I'd find him dead in his bed. We got him through it, Wilson and me, but it wasn't easy. I'm guessing you guys got that worked out?"

"We did, but I'm still being extra thorough with anything I do to help him," Chase said. He glanced at the clock. "I need to check on him, Cuddy. Thanks for calling in those extra meds. I'm worried about his pain levels."

"I know, I am too. I'll talk with him on Monday about a few things," Cuddy said. "You boys have a good weekend."

"You too." Chase hung up and sighed. He didn't know if a talk with the boss would be a good idea or not, but at least he'd be able to be there if it concerned House's leg. Chase was listed as the primary doctor on those forms.


	13. Chapter 13

Chase wanted to put the meeting off, but took House right to Cuddy's office first thing Monday morning and shut the door behind them. "You wanted to talk to us, Cuddy?" he asked.

"Hey, yeah, come on in," she replied. "Greg, I wanted to apologize for not thinking about the prescription. I'm really sorry that I didn't."

"It's fine, I was managing," House said.

"You shouldn't have to be managing though, that's the point," Cuddy said. "Greg, until we figure out what's going on with you, I need your head in the game. If that means more pain medications, then I'll give them to you. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but I've seen you work when you were dying and still come up with a solution for the problem."

Chase looked around. "When you were dying?" he asked.

"Pre-surgery for the leg," House replied. "I've told you about that, Bobby. Cuddy was trying to keep my mind off the pain by telling me about a patient in emergency and I solved the case without even going down there. I think I coded about fifteen minutes after that, but I'm fine."

"Loon," Chase sighed. "I'm keeping an eye on him, Cuddy. I think he's actually thinking more clearly when he has the pain medication in him."

"Of course I am," House said. "Pain is a distraction under the best of circumstances. Think about how much of a distraction it is for me right now. I've been taking vicodin long enough that I don't have many side effects and it takes a lot to knock me out. Lowering my pain levels to their normal throbbing lets me focus better and I'm more functional. I just can't walk."

"Which is one of the things I wanted to talk with you about," Cuddy said. "Greg, I'm worrying about more clots forming right now. I know the dye test showed you're clear at the moment, but what if one starts forming because you're sitting or lying down all the time. I'd like to see you in the therapy pool, at least using a float and stroking with your arms."

"Bobby?" House said.

"Yeah, I'm game to try," Chase said. "That's not a bad idea, Cuddy, although we'll have to figure out a way to keep his leg from dragging along the bottom. I don't want him in deep water when he's in this much pain, even with me and one of the therapists there. It's too risky."

"There's nothing but paperwork to be done today, why don't you two go on down and talk with the therapy staff and see what all you can come up with?" Cuddy suggested. "I'll know where to find you if I need you."

Chase looked over at his lover. "You feel up to it?" he asked.

"Sure, why not," House replied. "It'll keep me away from Wilson's office, which is part of the problem here. Cuddy, let me tell you one thing. I'm staying as far away from him as I possibly can. You don't have to worry about any pranks against him. Pranks are for when there's an argument. He broke trust. That's different."

"Greg, I can't tell when you're lying and when you're serious," Cuddy sighed. "I'm going to hold you to that, though."

"Good, because I'm not lying," House said. "I may never walk again. There's no prank in the universe that could be made for payback for that."

Cuddy shivered a little when she picked up the ice in both his eyes and his voice. He was serious, and definitely not lying to her.


	14. Chapter 14

"I'm still not sure how we're going to keep your leg up off the ground, Greg," Chase said as they were making their way up to the diagnostic's office. "It's one thing to give you a float to hang onto while you're swimming, but short of tying a float to your ankle, I don't know what we can do."

"What about you following along behind holding it loosely around the ankle?" House asked. "Or we could find some sort of a body board for me to lie on. Cuddy just wants me moving, I could do that from a board supporting my body."

Chase nodded thoughtfully. "I have something that would work in storage," he said. "I'll have to go and dig it out after work if you think you'll be okay for an hour or so on your own."

"Yeah, I'll be fine," House said. "I'll probably nap. I'd forgotten how much work swimming with just arms is."

"I think it's good to get you in the water like this," Chase said. He caught sight of Wilson up ahead of them, walking down the hall in their direction. "I want to talk with the physical therapy staff and see if there's some other gentle exercises we can do at night that won't jar your leg."

"If you try and put me on a salad diet, I'm withholding sex for six weeks," House muttered.

"Empty threat," Chase said with a fond smile. "Do you want to get lunch now or do some paperwork first?"

"Lunch," House said.

"House, Chase, how are you both doing?" Wilson asked.

Chase wasn't surprised when his lover didn't answer. "We're doing as well as can be expected, Dr. Wilson," he said. "If you're excuse us, we're late for lunch."

"Yeah, sure, see you guys later," Wilson said.

"Late for lunch?" House asked softly when they were down the hall.

"You need food to take your meds," Chase replied. "I just wanted an excuse to get us out of there, Greg. It was something we'd just been talking about, so it worked out in the end. I don't think you're allowed to gripe when I get you out of awkward situations."

House turned and looked up at Chase. "I'm not griping, Bobby," he said. "I appreciate you getting me out of there. I don't know if I'll ever be able to talk with him again."

"You scared Cuddy this morning, you know."

"Yeah, I kinda meant to. I wanted her to know I'm serious, for once," House said. "This isn't something that can just be pranked away, Bobby. This is my life we're talking about. This is me wanting to be able to walk next to you, not be a burden on you whenever we want to travel on holiday somewhere. Right now, it's impossible and I don't know if it will ever be possible again."

Chase squeezed House's shoulder. "We'll talk about it more tonight, but you are not a burden, Greg," he said. "When you asked me to move in, I knew that we were going to last forever because you never let anyone close to you easily. We might not have taken any vows to each other, but you know what? I will be next to you forever no matter what happens because I love you and I know you love me. Do I want you pain free, of course I do. It hurts me to see you hurting, but I'll do everything in my power to ease that hurt back for you, okay?"

"Okay," House said. "Is this where I say I'm sorry for being such a wreck?"

"This is where you tell me what you want to eat," Chase said. "Let's get you parked out of the way and I'll get us our food."

House caught Chase's hand. "You know I feel the same, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, Greg, I know."


	15. Chapter 15

When they hit the three week mark, Chase took House back for more scans and tests to be sure that there weren't new problems developing around the leg injury. House complained the whole time, but Chase could tell that it was more for show than it was actual complaint. House was more worried than Chase was about what the tests were going to show.

"The fluid pocket hasn't grown any," Chase said, studying the films. "I don't know, Greg, do you want us to put you under and try to drain it? I think we can get needles in there so we wouldn't have to do any cutting on the leg and risk more scar tissue."

"I think we might have to," House sighed. "I'm worried that it's going to rupture suddenly and then I will be facing infections and other problems. I know that changing the position of the scar tissue will lead to more pain, but we're dealing with higher pain levels now anyway. I'd just hoped my body was going to reabsorb the fluid naturally and we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Well, the good news is that we're not seeing any new clots or blockages from your lack of activity," Chase said. "I think swimming has helped that. I just wish there was something else we could do for the leg."

House sighed and leaned back in his wheelchair. "I think I'm looking at surgery no matter what," he said. 

"What are you thinking about?" Chase asked.

"I'm worried about the structural integrity for the leg," House replied. "The scar tissue was adding in stability that helped me walk, but it's possible it was also leeching at the bone. We won't know until we're able to get in and look at the femur. My concern is that I could stand up and the bone would snap in half."

"We could biopsy it while we're draining the fluid out," Chase said. "See what the bone looks like. I'd like to avoid more cutting unless we really don't have another choice in the matter. Right now your pain levels are doubled. If we disturb the scar tissue by cutting it open and then creating more, it's possible we could double the double and then you would really be in trouble."

"So what do we do, Bobby?" House asked softly. "There's no good choice here. Everything leads to more pain and lessens the chance of me ever walking, even with aid, again."

Chase put a hand over his lover's and squeezed gently. "We go in and drain out that fluid, keeping you in the hospital for a few days to manage the pain levels. The drain is done slowly so we don't shock your system, Greg. It's possible we can do this slowly enough that it won't increase your pain levels that much."

"Knocking me out that many times would be a risk," House said. "Reduce it by half so we only have to do this twice. Get a sample of the bone if you can and we'll see how structurally sound it really is. The X-Rays show there's no obvious holes or breaks in there, but they can't really show how much, if any, the scar tissue caused problems at the site."

"Are you sure you can handle the pain reducing that fluid pouch by half is going to cause?" Chase asked. "I don't want to make you sicker, Greg."

"This is a balancing act of pain vs. danger," House said. "My heart is sound, we know that, but I don't want to risk it by going under five or six times. I'll just have to be able to deal with the pain."

"All right, if you're sure," Chase said. "I'll talk with Cuddy and schedule the first procedure. I'm on record as not being happy about this though."

"I'm not happy about it either, Bobby," House sighed. "There's only one other option left, and I won't take it unless there is nothing else we can do."

Chase nodded, biting his lip. He knew what the other option was and thought he might just have to kill Wilson if it came down to that.


	16. Chapter 16

"James, what are you doing in here?" Cuddy asked as she walked into House's hospital room. "You know you're not supposed to be."

He looked around and sighed. "I just wanted to see what I'd done to him," Wilson said. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen, Lisa. I was just worried about how many pills he was taking every month."

"This is proof that acting in good faith can be damaging to the patient," she said. "I'm trying to find a way to buffer under the scar tissue as we drain the fluid out, something that will give House some support, but the bone biopsy wasn't good."

"He's never going to walk again, is he?" Wilson asked.

"It doesn't look like it," Cuddy replied. "I'm not sure what's going to happen next, but Chase and I are doing everything we can to get House back on his feet."

"I know an I'm sorry doesn't even begin to help here, but I am," Wilson said.

Cuddy sighed. "Come on, I don't want to risk Chase finding you in here," she said. "House told me something you should probably hear. He's not going to do anything to take revenge on you because you broke trust, James. This isn't House holding a grudge unfairly. I can't order him to forgive you for something like this."

"By rights you should probably be firing me," Wilson said.

"That's the thing, I know you wouldn't do this to one of your patients," Cuddy said. "The only reason you did this in the first place was because you were worried about House and you knew that talking to him about his medications didn't worked. There were other things you could have done, other choices you could have made, but we're where we are."

"I hate myself for this," Wilson admitted. "I really thought it would work. I've seen you use saline as a replacement on him before and it worked out with no lingering issues, so I thought this would be a safe option for helping him off the pills. House is right, I've never stopped to think about how much pain he lives with and what it does to him. I could've killed him, Lisa."

"You could have, but you didn't," she said. 

"I think I did kill part of his spirit though. Instead of helping, I made the pain worse, so he's had to increase his dosage of pain killers and that's the exact opposite of what I was trying to do," Wilson said. "There's no way to make this right. I overheard Chase talking with the therapy staff. The last resort is amputation for the leg. If House's pain levels get too high, they're talking about doing it."

"Given how much he battled that last time, I think it would take a hell of a lot to get them to that step," Cuddy said. "We still have treatment options, James. I know I shouldn't be talking about this with you, but you need to know. Have you given any thought to their request about you feeling the same pain levels?"

"Yeah, I can't do it. I'm too scared to," Wilson said.

"All right, I told them I wasn't going to force you into that," Cuddy said. She checked her watch. "I've got to meet up with Chase. Don't go back into House's room, James. If he were to wake up and find you there, or if Chase caught you, I think you would be in trouble. Not legal trouble, but I don't want you pushing your luck."

He nodded. "Yeah, I know. I just had to see for myself. I'll stay away."

"Okay, I'll talk with you later then."


	17. Chapter 17

"Hey."

House blinked. "Hey," he managed. "What day is it?"

"Two days since we drained out half the fluid," Chase said. "We've been keeping you asleep to let things settle a little. How does it feel right now?"

"About like it did immediately after the original surgery," House said. "Fill me in."

Chase pulled up a chair and sat down, taking House's hand in his. "The bone biopsy wasn't good, Greg," he said. "We need to put you on a higher calcium diet before we even think about trying to buffer up that bone. Given your age, I don't even know if it will help or not. Cuddy and I are still trying to figure out a few things for the scar site, but right now, it's looking like you're going to be a wheelchair for a while."

"How high a dose of pain killers do you have me on?"

"About two times what you normally take," Chase said. "I know you said you'd manage the pain, but I want to give your heart a chance to adjust before we go in again and take the rest of the fluid out."

House nodded and blinked a few times. "I think Wilson came to see me while I was asleep," he said. "You know I hear everything no matter what, Bobby, and I'm really sure I heard him talking with Cuddy. He's not going to do the pain thing."

"Yeah, I didn't think he would," Chase said with a sigh. "I'm not too happy about him getting near you, but I guess if he didn't touch you or your IVs, I can ignore it."

"Bobby, how likely is amputation?"

"That's up to you, Greg. It's your leg and your life," Chase said. "I'll be right next to you no matter what choice you make, you know that. Nothing that happens will run me off from you."

"Might be easier now," House said. "I battled it last time because they were going to force me into it and I was still young. I thought that I would be able to come back from everything and be healthy again. Then they tricked me and sent me to surgery and I woke up like this. I don't want to live in a wheelchair, Bobby. I don't know if I can face that."

"Think about options, Greg," Chase said. "You know exactly what we're looking at with the leg. You've anticipated everything that's been found on the tests. Put your genius brain to work on the problem while you're asleep and see if you can come up with other options that you can live with. I'll support whatever decision you make."

"Even if I decide to let them amputate?" House asked.

"Even then, because you'll still be you, Greg. I love your legs as much as I love the rest of you, but if this is what it takes, then we'll do it and work through all the therapy and problems that come at us," Chase replied. "I'll be right next to you for every step you want to take here. If you want to keep the leg, drain the rest of the fluid and find another option there, then we'll do that. Just don't jump into anything, Greg."

"Don't think Cuddy would agree to the surgery right now anyway, not with this many drugs in my system," House said. "When does the rest of the fluid come out?"

"Three more days. I'm trying to give your body a chance to adjust to everything before we continue on," Chase said.

House nodded. "All right, I'll think of other options," he said. "I just don't know if they'll work."

Chase stood and kissed House gently. "You're a genius, Greg. I'm sure you'll think of something. Sleep. I'm going to go talk with Cuddy. I'll be here when you wake up again, I promise. Love you."

"Love you too," House said.


	18. Chapter 18

"Everything looks good," Cuddy said. "We just have to wait until he wakes up to do the scans and see what they tell us."

"I'm scared to let him wake up, Cuddy," Chase admitted. "The pain level never decreased from when he woke up the first time after the first draining until we put him under for this one. It's possible that the pain could shock his system badly and impact his heart. There's so much that could go wrong here."

Cuddy nodded. "I know, Chase, I know," she said. "We'll get him through this point, even if we have to dope him to the gills to get the scan done. I want to see what's going on under the scar tissue before I even let him talk about any other surgeries."

"He doesn't want to live in a wheelchair," Chase said. "He's said that to me every time we talked. He wants to be able to walk again, Cuddy. That's his ultimate wish. If I could figure out a way to stabilize the leg that wouldn't cause him more pain than he deals with daily then I'd do it in a second, but I can't. He's been thinking about it and he can't come up with anything either. We're down to wheelchair or amputation. I don't know what to do."

"I don't either," Cuddy said. "Let's just get him through this scan and see what it shows us. It's possible that there's been a change between the last operation and this one."

"I don't know that I have that sort of hope left," Chase sighed.  
****

"Bobby."

"Hey there, how's the pain?" Chase asked.

House groaned. "How much morphine do you guys have me on right now?"

"Enough to keep the pain level back so you can talk to me," Chase said. "You passed out when we let you wake up last time, Greg. I don't think we have another choice."

"What did the scans show?"

"Part of the bone snapped off and is attached to the scar tissue," Chase said. "We didn't catch it before because of the fluid packet sitting there. Your femur is fragile enough that if you even attempted to stand up right now, it'd snap in half. I don't know how it happened, Greg, but the scar tissue did something to the bone that I've never seen before. There's no way we can stabilize the leg without causing you more pain in the end. There's not enough structure left to go in and put a titanium rod in place, even if we were to run it through the inside of the bone. There's nothing we can do."

"There's one thing," House said. "I am not living in a wheelchair, Bobby. I'm not going to be a burden to anyone."

"Greg, are you positive?" Chase asked. "This isn't something we can undo."

"The pain will fade as I adjust," House said. "I can't live on high levels of morphine forever and I'm past what vicodin would be able to help with. Do it, Bobby. Schedule in the surgery and tell the therapy staff I'll be spending a lot of time with them."

Chase tried to smile. "I'm sure they'll be thrilled," he said. "I love you so much, Greg."

"I love you too," House said.  
****

"Cuddy, keep Wilson away from me," Chase said once his lover was back in surgery.

"Why?"

"Because if I see him any time soon, I'm going to kill him," Chase said.


	19. Chapter 19

House woke up with a groan. "Bobby?"

"I'm here," Chase said, grabbing House's free hand. "How do you feel?"

"Different," House said.

"Where are your pain levels?"

"Not nearly as high as they have been since the fall," House said. He shifted a little. "There's phantom pain, but I can tell it's not real pain. Maybe I've lived with pain long enough that I can tell the difference. How long was I out this time?"

Chase wiped his eyes. "Normal amount of time for surgery," he said. "The doctors said you did great in there, Greg. Your heart looks good and they're hopeful as long as we can keep infection out of the amputation site."

"We will," House said. "Come here, Bobby." He pulled his lover down and kissed him gently. "Don't blame yourself for any of this. You tried everything in your power to keep me from this step. It's not your fault."

"I know, but I just hate that you had to take this step," Chase said. He sat down on the edge of the bed. "I know you'll be in less pain and have better mobility once you get the hang of your prosthetic, but it still feels like we gave up."

"We did," House said. "We gave up and took the option that won't kill me. Bobby, I don't blame you at all. Please don't blame yourself."

"Okay," Chase said. "I'm going to be there for you every step of the way, if only to keep you from traumatizing some poor intern down in the therapy department."

House couldn't help the smile. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Greg."  
****

Cuddy shut the door to her office. "James, what's going on?"

"I think I need to take a leave of absence, Cuddy," he said. "Think some things through, see where I want my life to go. I didn't mean for any of this to happen, but that doesn't mean that I'm not ultimately at fault for everything House has been through recently."

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"Travel a bit, maybe do some research in other parts of the world," Wilson said. "There's a lot of alternatives being used in treating cancer and I haven't been able to keep up with them nearly as well as I should be. I'm not quitting, but I don't think I can be here for a while."

"Are you sure?"

"House is going to be suffering for months relearning to walk and move," Wilson said. "I helped him through it last time because he didn't have anyone else that would put up with him, but he has Chase now, and they'll be fine. I think I need to work out how I could have been so blind to everything that I treated a patient like this. I need to be certain I won't be this blind to anyone else's pain, Lisa. I need to know that I can still do my job properly."

She nodded with a sigh. "All right, if you're sure it's what you want to do. I'll get some guests in to work with your patients until you let me know if you're coming back or not," Cuddy said. "Keep in touch, James. I want to make sure you're okay."

"I'll do my best," Wilson said. "Will you tell House that I'm sorry?"

"Sure."


	20. Chapter 20

"Wilson's gone," Chase said, shutting the door to House's hospital room. "Cuddy said he's taking a sabbatical to study."

"I wish I could say I would miss him," House said. "The only things I want to say to him aren't nice and he's wallowing in his own guilt well enough. He doesn't need me cussing at him."

Chase nodded and perched on the edge of the bed. "It's just a shame it had to end like this," he said. "You two had been friends for a long time. I guess I never thought I'd see the day when you weren't."

"We wouldn't have been if he'd thought before he acted," House said. "If nothing else, this shows the dangers of looking only at numbers and not at the patient."

"Does this mean you're going to start doing that?"

"No one understands how I work," House said. He looked down and sighed. "Not that I'm going to be treating anyone any time soon. Not unless Cuddy has a patient that no one else can handle again. I'm out for a while, Bobby."

"You'll be back before you know it," Chase said. "As soon as those stitches come out, you're going to be swimming again. I know you love the water."

"Of course I do. It means I get to see you wet," House said. "Bobby, will you tell me if you need a break from me? I don't want to lose you."

"Hey now, we talked about this. I'm here every step for you," Chase said. He kissed House softly. "You made an impossible choice, Greg, and I'm not leaving you because of it. The only thing I hate about this is that you were placed in this situation to begin with. I know you're going to snark and lash out. It's what you do when you're hurt and scared, but you're not going to run me off. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

House looked over. "I'm scared, Bobby."

"I know, and I'm right here. We'll get you through this together. You'll be walking in no time, Greg, because you've got the drive to get better. Do you want to go outside for a bit?" Chase asked. "It's nice out and we could have lunch on the lawn."

"Yeah, I think I'd like that," House said with an attempt at a smile.


End file.
